VIDEO: Talking about the illegal ivory trade in the Middle East with Dubai One

I just returned from our office in Dubai, whose mission is to reinforce the importance of protecting animals and to build regional capacity to combat the illegal ivory trade, among other initiatives.

While I was in the United Arab Emirates, I was interviewed by Emirates 24/7, a local news station about the illegal ivory trade and the precipitous decline of lions in Africa and sharks around the world.

As I relate in the video, the UAE has built an incredible transportation hub, which is good for tourism and the economy, but poses a threat to elephants because illegal ivory often transits from East Africa to Asia through the Middle East.